T means time: If any of the FAS signs are positive, it’s Time to call 9-1-1 immediately

Stroke: Time = Brain Damage

Remember the FAST test for stroke; the T in FAST also means the longer time the blockage of blood (usually due to clot formation) to the brain, the more damage to the brain can occur. In some qualified patients, the use of a clot-busting drug may be used to dissolve the clot and restore blood flow. For many patients, the time span to diagnose and treat such a clot is usually 3 hours (some clinicians suggest a bit longer time). Often, patients do not qualify for this treatment. There are also some risks like bleeding associated with this treatment that may cause problems.

Because treatments are sometimes difficult to qualify for and because damage to brain cells can happen quickly, strokes are a leading cause of long-term disability in people.

Diagnosing a Stroke

There are two main types of strokes (ischemic and hemorrhagic) and they are treated differently. They are often emergently diagnosed by a head CT scan (or, rarely, an MRI).

Ischemic Stroke

This slide shows a CT scan of an ischemic stroke, which is responsible for about 80% to 90% of all strokes. Ischemic strokes are caused by clots that reduce or stop blood flow to the brain. The clot may develop elsewhere in the body and just get stuck in a brain vessel or the clot may originate in the blood vessel.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

This slide shows a hemorrhagic stroke using an MRI image. The circle insert diagrams what composes a hemorrhagic stroke. A blood vessel in the brain breaks open and blood escapes into the brain under pressure, compressing other blood vessels and brain cells causing damage and death. This bleeding into the brain is difficult to stop and is more likely to be fatal to the patient.

'Mini-Stroke' (TIA)

"Mini-strokes" (also termed transient ischemic attacks or TIAs) are temporary blockages of blood vessels in the brain. TIAs can produce mild stroke symptoms that resolve. TIAs often occur before a stroke happens so they serve as warning signs that the person may need stroke preventive therapy.

What Causes a Stroke

Common causes of stroke come from blood vessels both outside and inside the brain. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) can occur when plaque (deposits of cholesterol, calcium, fat, and other substances) builds up and narrows the vessel making it easy for clots to form and further occlude the vessel. The clots can break free only to occlude smaller blood vessels inside the brain. The blood vessels inside the brain itself can accumulate this plaque. Occasionally, weakened vessels can burst and bleed into the brain.

Stroke Risk Factors: Chronic Conditions

Common conditions that increase a person's risk for strokes include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity. People can reduce stroke risks by addressing these problems in consultation with their doctor.

Stroke Risk Factors: Behaviors

People can also reduce their stroke risk by altering some aspects of their lifestyle. For example, people who stop smoking, begin a consistent exercise program, and limit their alcohol intake (two drinks per day for men, one per day for women) can decrease their risk.

Stroke Risk Factors: Diet

One of the best ways to reduce stroke risk is to eat a diet that has low fat and low cholesterol to reduce the chance of plaque formation in blood vessels. Foods high in salt may increase blood pressure. Cutting back on calories can help reduce obesity. A diet that contains a lot of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, along with more fish and less meat (especially red meat) is suggested to lower stroke risk.

Stroke Risk Factors You Can't Control

Unfortunately, there are some risk factors that people cannot control, such as family history of strokes, gender (men are more likely to have a stroke), and race (African Americans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives all have increased risk for strokes). In addition, women who get strokes are more likely to die from the stroke than men.

Stroke: Emergency Treatment

Emergency stroke treatment depends on the type of stroke. Ischemic strokes are treated by methods designed to remove (dissolve) or bypass a clot in a blood vessel while hemorrhagic strokes are treated by attempts to stop the bleeding in the brain, control high blood pressure, and reduce brain swelling. Hemorrhagic strokes are more difficult to treat.

Stroke: Long-Term Damage

Strokes that cause long-term damage are usually severe and/or not treated or treated after large sections of the brain have been damaged or killed. The type of damage depends on where in the brain the stroke occurred (for example, the motor cortex for movement problems or the brain area that controls speech). Although some problems will be permanent, many people that do rehabilitation can regain some or many of the abilities lost in the stroke.

Stroke Rehab: Speech Therapy

If a stroke damages a person’s ability to use language and to speak or swallow, rehabilitation, usually performed by speech therapists, can help a person regain some or most of the abilities they lost initially with the stroke. For those who have severe damage, rehabilitation can provide methods and skills that can help a person to adapt and compensate for severe damage.

Stroke Rehab: Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is designed to improve a person’s strength, gross coordination, and balance. This rehabilitation helps people, after their stroke, regain their ability to walk and do other things like using stairs or getting out of a chair. Regaining fine motor skills like buttoning a shirt or using a knife and fork or writing a letter are activities that occupational therapy is designed to aid.

Stroke Rehab: Talk Therapy

Some people have problems coping with their new disabilities after a stroke. A psychologist or other mental health professional can help people adjust to their new challenges and situations by using talk therapy and other methods to help people with reactions such as depression, fear, worries, grief, and anger. It is common for most people to have these emotions and reactions after a stroke.

Stroke Prevention: Lifestyle

The methods previously discussed that may prevent or decrease a person’s stroke risk are essentially the same for people who have had a stroke (or TIA) and want to prevent or decrease their chances of having another stroke. In summary, quit smoking, exercise, and if obese, lose weight. Limit alcohol, salt, and fat intake and get into the habit of eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and more fish and less meat.

Stroke Prevention: Medications

Medications are usually prescribed for people with a high risk of stroke. The medicines are designed to lower risk by inhibiting clot formation (aspirin, warfarin and/or other antiplatelet medicines). Also, antihypertensive medications can help by reducing high blood pressure. Medications have side effects so discuss these with you doctor.

Stroke Prevention: Surgery

There are some surgical options for stroke prevention. Some patients have plaque- narrowed carotid arteries. The plaque can participate in clot formation in the artery and can even shed clots to other areas in the brain’s blood vessels. Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure where the surgeon removes plaque from the inside of the arteries to reduce the chance of strokes in the future.

Stroke Prevention: Balloon and Stent

Some clinicians also treat plaque-narrowed carotid (and occasionally other brain arteries) with a balloon on the end of a narrow catheter; inflating the balloon pushes plaque aside and increases the vessel’s lumen (opens up the vessel). This opened artery then is reinforced (kept open) by an expandable stent that, when expanded, becomes rigid.

Life After a Stroke

About two-thirds of people (over 700,000) that have a stroke each year survive and usually need some level of rehabilitation. Some who get clot-busting drugs may recover completely, others will not. Many people who have disability after a stroke can function independently with therapy and rehabilitation methods. Although the risk of having a second stroke is higher after the first stroke, individuals can take the steps outlined in previous slides to reduce this risk.

THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the eMedicineHealth Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.